SAN DIEGO—The NFL says it is looking into a report that the San Diego Chargers used a banned sticky substance during Monday night's loss to the Denver Broncos.

Fox Sports reported Sunday that during Monday night's game, an equipment manager came onto the field with an illegal substance on hand towels. Fox says one of the officials, Jeff Bergman, saw the towels and tried to confiscate the substance. When the equipment manager wouldn't give it up, the officials made him empty his pockets and found a skin colored or clear type of tape.

The Chargers blew a 24-0 halftime lead and lost 35-24, their second straight loss in which they blew a double-digit second-half lead.

Lester Hayes played cornerback of the Oakland Raiders in the 70′s and early 80′s. Back then, players used a sticky resin called “Stick ‘Um” on their hands to help with their grip on the ball. Used in reasonable moderation, this substance was legal. Hayes, however, pushed it to the limit in the 1980 NFL season. He smeared it on his hands, jersey, pants, shoes, helmet…anywhere the ball would potentially touch (see the picture to the left). In 1980 he was one interception short of the all-time season record with 13, while an additional 4 were called back because of penalties. Teammates even joked that the reason he got all those interceptions was StickUm …because if the ball even touched his hand he’d hang on. By the 1981 season, Stick Um was outlawed (and still is) in what is known as the Lester Hayes Rule.

Wouldn't stick'um leave a residue on the balls? Isn't that the reason the officials toss balls in & out of the game?

Man, I want the replacement refs back.

Balls are usually exchanged due to bad weather conditions transmitted to the ball. Also so that kickers can't tamper with the balls. But probably the more common reason for refs to exchange balls is to facilitate the flow the game. Having the 36 mandated footballs greatly affects the time clock. Getting the football from the sideline to the middle of the field helps speed up the game. This also reduces the time team players have to wait for the football to be put into play.

In this day and time, "sticky" balls found during games now tend to be confined to players' jock straps.